Head Start Families School Readiness Beliefs And Transitioning Roles

Author : Annie White
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781339066769
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (667 download)

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Download or read book Creating New Pathways for Dialogue written by Annie White and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Head Start and Early Head Start (EHS) are federally funded child development programs serving low-income families for children birth to five years of age, including prenatal families. Since its beginning in 1965, more than 20 million children and families nationally have benefited from Head Start's comprehensive services (ECKLC, 2014). EHS specifically serves pregnant women and children from birth to three years of age, living below the federal poverty line (NHSA, 2013). Early Head Start is a family focused program that provides comprehensive and community-based services to address developmental goals of young children. EHS is based on the assertion that all children have explicit needs, and that children from low-socioeconomic families, in particular, can benefit from a comprehensive developmental program (NHSA, 2013). In addition, EHS offers support to parents in their child-rearing roles, school, work, and participation in training programs, while linking families to community services (NHSA, 2013). During 2013, in California alone, EHS programs served 150,100 children and 6,391 pregnant women and their families (CHSA, 2014). Services to EHS families include family engagement where the family is the central force in helping prepare children for school and life (ECKLC, 2014). Children benefit when families and educators collaborate and work together to support young children's development (Pelletier & Brent, 2002; Mendez, 2010). Family engagement happens when family members, as leaders, make decisions in their role as the primary educators of children (NCPFCE, 2014). Yet, research indicates that parents and educators often do not collaborate about children's education and this lack of partnership can be negative for children's school readiness (McAllister, Wilson, Green & Baldwin, 2005). The purpose of this project was to study EHS programs that have utilized narrative observations, referred to as Journey of Discoveries as a proposed prototype model, to examine collaboration between parents and teachers. In addition, the study project examined whether Journey of Discoveries supports collaboration between parents and teachers, and if so, does it lead to enhanced family engagement. The project examined school readiness, family engagement, parent voice, learning stories, and the theoretical framework of funds of knowledge and third space, as discussed in the literature. The study utilized a qualitative case study approach based on transcripts from approximately seven hours of interviews from three EHS sites. These interviews included EHS staff and EHS parents. Transcripts were coded by themes and analyzed using a computer software program. Conclusions were based on the major and consistent themes identified across the EHS programs. Findings centered on four central themes: (a) connection, (b) partnership, (c) building of relationship, and (d) the value of shared understanding. Findings for these four themes significantly demonstrated how collaboration occurred between EHS staff and parents through use of the Journey of Discoveries. In addition, the following themes that demonstrate increased family engagement were identified as the following: (a) engaged teachers and parents celebrate children's learning; (b) engagement leads to emotional responses to learning; (c) engagement occurs through sharing of learning as stories; (d) engagement is enhanced through the process of reflection; (f) engagement transpires through viewing children's learning holistically; (g) engagement occurs through the honoring of diverse voices; (h) and parent's role as leaders, engaged in children's learning and development. Findings from this study revealed that Journey of Discoveries created a pathway for EHS teachers and parents engaged in capturing children's learning and development through the sharing of written and/or audio recorded narrative observations. As a result, each of these seven identified themes emerged as demonstration of collaboration leading to family engagement through use of Journey of Discoveries narrative observations.